The method is proposed that provides determination of three angular coordinates characterizing head position of observer equipped with Head-Mounted Module (HMM) relative to the rectangular axes that is tied to the object at that the observer is located.
The purpose of the system by U.S. Pat. No. 6,424,310 and engineering solution are most close to the present method for determination of angular coordinates By the patent the 3D-navigation system is proposed that comprises a couple of devices containing emitter and receiver and one of them is installed on the head and the other is fixed on display monitor installed in front of the observer. Each device has photoelectric matrix with its cells concentrated relative to the normal line and infrared diode emitting the light beams along the normal line inside the cone. The photoelectric matrix is capable to receive IR-radiation from the other device and provides output signals that are specified by intensity distribution of IR-radiation illumination in matrix cells. The matrix signals are used for calculation of the angular coordinates of observer's movable (head-mounted) device relative to the fixed device. The system could be used for interactive 3D-games, for remote control and various other applications, e.g., for flight control in simulator or inside the cockpit or command post of the ship, spacecraft, transport vehicles and etc, for disabled persons in order to provide remote control of PC, motorized wheelchair, prosthesis, and etc., and for performance of control functions in industrial production such as, for example, remote control of machines, CAD systems, in architecture, in medical graphic, virtual reality and other applications.
The proposed method and devices based on it are more effective and universal as compared with U.S. Pat. No. 6,424,410 patent for the reasons of:
The claimed method makes it possible to ensure practically unrestricted measuring range of movable HMM (head-mounted) unit angles relative to the fixed coordinate system (±180° horizontal, vertical, rolling) while the device by U.S. Pat. No. 6,424,410 has a constructive restriction of measuring ranges of movable HMM (head-mounted) unit angles caused by cone vertex angle of beams emitted by LED lasers.
By proposed method only the LED lasers are installed on the movable (helmet-mounted) HMM unit while in the device by U.S. Pat. No. 6,424,410 patent a photoelectric matrixes are installed on this unit besides the emitter that makes the construction of movable unit considerably more complicated and decreases its reliability.
By proposed method the focusing of the rays on CCD is carried out in the form of dot while in the device by U.S. Pat. No. 6,424,410 differences of luminance distributions in certain matrix cells are being analyzed. The error of such method is considerably increased and it is more affected by extraneous illumination influence and its responsively is lower.